When Jill Scott came to London to perform in the late 2000s, I convinced my father to come along by noting Scott’s musical namesake, the 1970s jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron. I was treading hallowed ground by invoking an artist heralded across genre divides as the “Godfather of Rap” or the “black Bob Dylan”, but it was not entirely a ruse. Jill Scott‘s debut album, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 set performance poetry to music, with songs that could evoke social justice, soul food, and sex, sometimes within a single verse.
My memory of the Gil Scott-Heron gambit was instantly rekindled as Jill Scott announced her forthcoming album, To Whom This May Concern, in fiery style. On the terse, one-minute-long opener “Dope Shit”, upcoming poet Maha Adachi Earth delivers a searing rap which flows like molten lava over a bubbling jazz-funk backdrop. The combination immediately brought to my mind another of hip-hop’s touchstone albums, 1973’s Hustler’s Convention by Lightnin’ Rod, otherwise known as Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of the Last Poets.
In Scott’s groundbreaking early singles “Love Rain” and “A Long Walk”, she flaunted her fluid delivery and sharply observed storytelling honed by performance poetry with the sensuous overtones of a classic soul singer, delivered over an organic, jazz-inflected backdrop. Her new songs “Offdaback” and “A Universe” recall that impact with slinky, shimmering keyboard loops amidst rolling breakbeats, over which Scott recites freeform poetry that marches to the beat of its own drum whilst simultaneously providing a perfect sense of syncopation.
Jill Scott’s rapping skills have remained fresh in the years since her previous album, Woman. She battles with fellow North Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack on “Norf Side”, evoking the 1990s hip-hop classic “Uknowhowwedu” by Bahamadia while giving shout-outs to friends and musical adversaries on the Philadelphia scene. She matches the macho swagger of Too Short with sharp, sardonic humour on “BPOTY” (humour that is also present on the swing-era pastiche “Pay U on Tuesday”). “Ode to Nikki”, featuring Ab Soul, is smoothly pitched between poetic neo-soul and rolling jazz rap.
“Be Great” is an uptempo R&B track featuring instrumental production from Trombone Shorty, with his New Orleans licks matched by Jill Scott’s brassy vocals. To Whom This May Concern is clearly an album for connoisseurs of strong, impactful vocals. The other standout voice is the bass. Amid tasteful breakbeats and keyboard loops, album co-producers Adam Blackstone and V.T. Tolan both play live bass throughout, so naturally the instrument is given plentiful solo showcases, and a distinctive sound production from song to song, and even the bass drum reverberations hit with a satisfyingly full-bodied thump.
To Whom This May Concern comes a decade after Jill Scott’s last album, 2015’s Woman. As Woman’s singles defined that record’s flavour of 1960s and early 1970s soul, with earthy horns, fatback drums and soaring vocals, the cosmic sounds of To Whom This May Concern fit seamlessly with pop’s retrofuturistic fascination with the 1980’s. Scott’s signature mix of poetry, hip-hop, jazz, and soul is as vibrant as ever.